In the Meizu 17 launch conference that was held earlier today (8th May 2020), the Chinese company launched a wide variety of new products. This includes the Meizu HD60 headphones, which are capable of noise cancellation and are priced at 1099 Yuan (roughly 155 US Dollars).
The Meizu HD60 headphones feature a new 40mm oversized beryllium-plated driver. This offers a better audio experience by reducing distortion. the beryllium drivers have a high rigidity that greatly reduces the movement of the diaphragm. In other words, a better material that delivers more true to life listening experience. The headphones are made from light materials and one of its highlighting features is undoubtedly its noice cancellation technology.
Apparently, the noise canceling chip used in the headphones were designed and made by Sony, a pioneering figure in the audio accessory industry. Furthermore, Qualcomm, the known chipmaker, is behind the Bluetooth chip housed in the Meizu HD60 headphones. These charge through a USB Type C port and are capable of fast charging as well. It is priced at 1,099 Yuan and will start sales later today.
Earlier today (8th May 2020), Meizu launched a bunch of new products alongside the launch of the company’s flagship smartphone series, Meizu 17. Among the new products was a new power bank that has a 10,000mAh capacity and is capable of charging devices up to 22.5W.
The Meizu Supercharged power bank charges smartphones via a USB Type-C port and has a massive 10,000mAh capacity. It also supports USB Type-A for both input and output. Notably, the power bank also has a status display function, meaning a small display at the bottom indicated various information like battery level and power output levels as well.
The power bank is Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 compliant, so supporting smartphones can be fast charged through this device. The Supercharged power bank was announced in the launch conference which was held online today, but the company has yet to give out an official date for its availability as of right now.
On May 11, Redmi will be announcing the Redmi K30 5G Extreme Edition. From the moniker, it appears that it will be a more powerful version of the Redmi K30 5G which debuted in December last year. It will be debuting as the world’s first smartphone with Snapdragon 768 onboard. Apart from this, Redmi is expected to announce three other phones this month.
Redmi General Manager had recently said on Weibo that, “Redmi will have new surprises in May.” The first one is most likely the Redmi K30 5G Extreme Edition launching next week. A reliable Chinese tipster recently claimed that the company is also planning to launch at least three more phones such as Redmi 10X 4G, Redmi 9, and a Redmi 5G phone fueled by Dimensity 800 chipset.
The Redmi 10X 4G for China is a rebranded version of the Redmi Note 9 that was recently announced in European markets. The Redmi 9 moniker is not yet confirmed. Probably, it could be coming as Redmi 10, claims the tipster.
The alleged Redmi 9 seems to Xiaomi Merlin phone that was seen on Geekbench. It had revealed that the phone is powered by Helio G70 chipset and 6 GB of RAM. Contradictory reports have claimed that the Redmi 9 could be coming with Helio G80 SoC.
Smartphone manufacturers have been using increasingly creative ways to achieve a full front screen body on for their offerings. Currently, one of the more popular ones is the punch hole selfie camera format. Now, Samsung is getting creative with this type of selfie shooter that it employs on its flagship devices as it has patented a new device that depicts a status indicator on the punch hole camera.
Samsung Electronics had filed five design patents with the CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Administration) back in 2019. These patents all focused on the selfie camera, which was surrounded by a graphical interface. The interface serves the purpose of revealing the status of the task the user is performing and more. An example given in the patent description describes its use in a time lapse video, where the status indicator will display the progress status of the camera timer.
While there had been rumors regarding the Galaxy Note 20 series arriving with an under display camera, the viability of the technology is still unknown. So, it is likely that the flagship series will launch in the latter half of this year with a punch hole format. Hence, we might see a status indicator around its single or even dual selfie setup on the front, as depicted within the patented designs themselves. The status indicator around the camera is in various shapes like square, ovaloid, and even circular.
The graphical interface also indicates other statuses like the downloads. This could be in the form of a status bar that fills up and progresses according to the live download a user may have in the background. This design isn’t completely unheard of, as the Meizu 17 also uses this in a certain manner, like having the punch hole camera to act as a battery indicator. So, we may see it in the near future, although, this is just a patent and has yet to be confirmed officially. Thus, take it with a grain of salt.
Chuwi LarkBox has already gained a lot of appreciation for being the world’s smallest 4K mini PC before its launch. The high-end specifications and compelling assembly inside the box is another positive aspect coming out of its recent teardown. The whole internal structure can be disassembled easily using a couple of screwdrivers (1.8x25mm cross, one-word screwdriver).
Chuwi Larkbox 4K mini PC uses BTB (Board to Board) connections between motherboard and different components. Overall, the whole disassembly process is quite easy and takes only a few minutes.
Taking off the initial casing from the bottom of the box, you will find a small motherboard encasing multiple ports, power IC, USB-A * 2, 3.5mm audio jack and a MicroSD expansion slot.
Digging deeper, there’s another motherboard interconnected with the above board via different wires. On this motherboard, you will find core parts of the PC including processor, RAM, storage, USB-C, and HDMI interface. The Intel Gemini Lake N4100 with UHD Graphics 600 and SK Hynix 6GB RAM is encased in the same board.
Things present on the Main Motherboard:
Processor：Intel Gemini Lake N4100 with UHD Graphics 600
Memory：SK Hynix H9HKNNNDGUMUBR 3GB LPDDR4*2
Storage：FORESEE NCEMASLD-128GB
Wireless mode：Intel Wireless-AC 9461
Interface：HDMI（Type-A）*1、USB Type-C*1
Moreover, there’s a small quiet fan running atop Full Copper chassis to reduce the heat and perfectly balance the power consumption and performance. The noise volume of the small fan is lower than 20db even at full speed.
The whole assembly is easy to disassemble without any complex tools. The ultra-small body incorporates all the components and chips in an organized way. LarkBox Mini 4K PC is well designed, powerful, and affordable mini PC worth buying.
Chuwi LarBox Mini PC will be listed on Indiegogo by the end of this month. You can know more about the World’s smallest PC by heading to the official website.
Lenovo held an online press conference earlier this week, where the company launched few new products. In the event, the Lenovo M2 electric scooter was also announced. This electric scooter was previously revealed for a price of 1,999 Yuan (roughly 282 US Dollars) but is now launching in the evening later today (8th March 2020) for a price of 1,699 Yuan (roughly 240 US Dollars.
For those unaware, the M2 electric scooter can run for up to 30 kilometers in a single full charge. It features a triple brake system alongside a triple shock absorption system as well. The battery outputs about 350W of power and is the driving force behind the endurance centric scooter. The electric scooter’s frame is built from an aluminum alloy structure that is also rated for IP54 protection and even can support weights of about 120 kilograms.
The Lenovo M2 electric scooter weighs just under 15 kilograms since it is made from a light magnesium alloy. On the handle, an LED control panel can be found, which displays the current speed, power, gear, and other statuses. The scooter is powered by a 18650mAh lithium battery and one can even check the status of the battery through the WeChat app companion.
The output of the battery is up to 350W and the scooter features a triple brake system alongside a triple shock absorption system as well. Lenovo’s M2 electric scooter follows a minimalistic design with gray themes and a red lining on the insides of the wheel. It is designed with portability in mind and is also capable of folding inward from the front wheel.
Meizu officially launched the Meizu 17 series and a number of accessories in China. At the same event, the brand also unveiled Flyme 8.1 based on Android 10. The updated OS comes pre-installed on the newly announced handsets. Additionally, it will be available for 10 of the company’s older devices.
The new Flyme 8.1 is an incremental update to Flyme 8 released last year. The underlying system is now updated to Android 10 from Android 9.0 Pie.
The new version integrates over 300 deep Android customization improvements and optimizations according to the company. It also brings enhanced Aicy voice assistant as well as better AI and gaming performance.
Flyme 8.1 brings a new OneMind 4.0 AI Engine, which is 30% better than its predecessor OneMind 3.5. The new software also adds small window mode 2.1 with improvements. As teased earlier by the company, the latest version of its mobile software also adopts native Android 10 Dark Mode.
As far as support is concerned, Meizu’s new flagships smartphones, Meizu 17 and Meizu 17 Pro will ship with Flyme 8.1 out of the box. Further, it will be available as an OTA update for the following 10 devices.
Xiaomi has just announced the Mi Box 4K for the Indian market. The streaming device was announced in the online launch event for the Mi 10 and is priced at 3,499 INR (roughly 46 US Dollars).
The Mi Box 4K runs the Android TV 9 Pie OS and plugs directly into televisions through the HDMI port. It supports Wi-Fi for connectivity, which grants users access to a large variety of apps and services online. This includes popular video streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, and more. Xiaomi has partnered with various brands like Docubay, Epic, HoiChoi, and Shemaroo to offer exciting deals to Mi Box 4K buyers.
Similar to set-top boxes, the Mi Box 4K is designed to placed on table-tops and connects to the TV via the HDMI cable. The device is powered by a quad core Amlogic processor and features 2GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. It even supports up to 4K resolution for various streaming services and also supports HDR enabled content from Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and others.
The Mi Box 4K runs the Android TV interface, unlike most of its smart TV offerings that run the PatchWall interface. In terms of additional connectivity, the device also supports USB port and 3.5mm audio jack. The former acts as a local media player allowing pen drives to play various audio and video formats. There is also a built in Chromecast Ultra that helps users to cast content in up to 4K resolution.
The Mi Box 4K will go on sale starting from 11th May 2020 at 12pm (noon IST) and will be available through popular e-retailers like Flipkart, and also the company’s official website, Mi Home stores, and Mi Studio stores as well. The streaming device is also expected to soon arrive in affiliated stores.
Meizu’s biggest smartphone launch of 2020 is here and the company has announced not one, but two new flagship-grade smartphones for China. Staying true to its minimalistic design, the phone slims down the bezels on the side and adds a horizontal camera housing at the back featuring four cameras in total. The Meizu 17 Pro is the company’s most powerful flagship for the first half of 2020 while Meizu 17 comes as a slightly cheaper alternative.
Meizu 17 & Meizu 17 Pro Design
The Meizu 17 and Meizu 17 Pro come with a simple punch-hole design upfront. The two phones feature an advanced CoF packaging technology which increases the screen to body ratio by limiting the lower bezel to just 3.3mm. The Meizu 17 duo come with a 6.6-inch custom Samsung AMOLED display with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio and 92.2% screen to body ratio. The AMOLED panel supports 100% DCI-P3 color gamut with a 90Hz high refresh rate and 180Hz touch sampling rate. The display panel has a peak brightness of 1100 nits with a pixel density of 390 ppi. You get a 0.15-sec fast screen fingerprint sensor on the front as well.
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Meizu has always given due importance its flagship designs. The new Meizu 17 weights 199 grams and is just 8.5mm thick. The phone isn’t top or bottom-heavy as Meizu has used a balanced design to make it comfortable to hold. The standard Meizu 17 comes in three colors at launch: Black, Dark Green, and White.
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Note that the biggest difference between the Meizu 17 and the 17 Pro is in the material of the body. The Meizu 17 Pro comes in a premium ceramic body in white, black, and light green colors.
The company also justified its decision to add a 2.9mm diameter camera on the top right corner because it believes this position creates the least amount of visual interference. Meizu explained at the event that we are used to reading from left to right and having the selfie camera on the right won’t hinder our reading experience. Furthermore, the company is making full use of the punch-hole camera by using it as a battery indicator. The phone also boasts of stereo speakers and Meizu claims that the sound output has increased by 30% as compared to its predecessor.
Meizu 17 & Meizu 17 Pro Specs
Both the models come with the flagship 2.84GHz Snapdragon 865 5G chipset under its hood with support for SA /NSA 5G. The company employs a new mSmart 5G technology inside its new flagships which reportedly improves its battery life when using the new-age cellular network. Meizu claims that mSmart 5G is fast and stable, so the Meizu 17 can last up to 4 hours and 25 minutes longer after turning on this special mode as compared to the regular 5G mode. The phone’s battery efficiency is also attributed to the 360-degree surround antenna design that will ensure a stable network connection.
The Meizu 17 has 8GB RAM onboard with up to 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage. The biggest difference between the standard and the Pro model is the presence of LPDDR5. The Meizu 17 Pro comes with the new-age LPDDR5 standard and UFS 3.1 as standard across its variants. Meizu claims that the Pro version’s AnTuTu score goes up to 600K.
Meizu 17 battery life comparison
The Meizu 17 and the 17 Pro feature a 4500mAh battery inside with 30W Super mCharge fast charging technology that promises 56% in half an hour. Meizu claims that the Meizu 17 can easily outlast other flagships like Huawei P40 Pro, Xiaomi Mi 10, and OPPO Find X2 Pro in a typical battery test – all thanks to its mSmart 5G technology. Note that only the Pro model comes with the Super Wireless mCharge 27W charging solution that can charge up to 47% in 30 minutes. The Pro model also supports reverse wireless charging.
The new Meizu flagship comes with mEngine 3.0 that improves the gaming performance of the device. It also features the new One Mind AI 4.0 that significantly improves the fluency of the UI (35% improvement over One Mind 3.0). The phone supports NFC, Wi-Fi 6 as well as eID.
Meizu 17 & Meizu 17 Pro Cameras
Meizu 17 cameras
The Meizu 17 series come with a quad-camera setup in a horizontal camera housing. The standard 17 model features a 64MP Sony IMX686 f/1.8 primary camera with a 12MP f/1.9 portrait camera, a 5MP dedicated f/1.9 macro camera that can take shots as close as 2.5cm, and finally, a 118° 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle lens.
Meizu 17 pro cameras
The Meizu 17 Pro features a much more powerful camera setup. It consists of the same 64MP IMX686 f/1.8 primary camera but features an 8MP f/2.4 79mm telephoto camera too. With the help of these two sensors, the phone can capture up to 8x lossless zoom samples with a focal length range of 26mm-210mm.
Another big highlight of the Pro’s camera setup is the brand new Sony IMX616 32MP ultra-wide-angle camera lens. This f/2.2 aperture lens can capture extremely wide 129° camera samples. The Meizu 17 Pro is also the world’s first smartphone to use the Samsung S5K33D 3D depth-sensing camera that brings hardware-level portrait blur to photos and even videos and adds unique features to the device like 3D wallpapers and AR tools. Meizu has said that it will add more AR features to its Flyme 8.1 OS in the future to take advantage of this hardware.
Upfront you have a powerful 20MP camera taking care of your selfies. The company claims that the front camera now features the third generation night mode algorithms (Super Night Mode 3.0) which ensure clear and bright selfies even in low light situations.
Meizu 17 & Meizu 17 Pro Pricing & Availability
The Meizu 17 is priced as follows.
8GB RAM + 128GB ROM – 3699 yuan ($523)
8GB RAM + 256GB ROM – 3999 yuan ($565)
The Meizu 17 Pro is priced as follows.
8GB RAM + 128GB ROM – 4299 yuan ($607)
12GB RAM + 256GB ROM – 4699 yuan ($664)
Both models will go on sale via online and offline sales channels in China from May 11.
Meizu 17 collectors edition kiln
The Meizu 17 Pro Collectors edition will be priced at 9999 yuan ($) and will go on sale on May 25.
There’s a special Meizu 17 Aircraft Carrier Limited Edition which will feature cool graphics at the back and customized themes for hardcore fans. This limited edition will also feature customized accessories such as a unique charger, customized case, badge, and even a SIM card ejector pin. This special limited edition is priced at 4299 yuan ($607) and goes on sale on May 27.
Meizu will also offer a bunch of PANDAER 17 series funky cases for the Meizu 17 series starting at 49 yuan (~$7). The cases go on sale from May 20. You can also get special silicone protective cases starting at 89 yuan (~$13).
Its official that the next iQOO phone will be coming with newly announced Dimensity 1000+ chipset. iQOO has not shared information on its Dimensity 1000+ powered smartphone. However, a trustworthy leakster from China has claimed that the device will be debuting as iQOO Z1.
The Weibo posts by the tipster hints that the iQOO Z1’s display may support 120Hz or 144Hz refresh rate and it could be coming with a 44W fast charger. The tipster has removed the Weibo post that hints about the refresh rate and charging capabilities of the iQOO Z1. The presence of the new MediaTek will possibly allow the phone to support 5G + 5G dual SIM / dual standby.
In related news, Nashville Chatter Class reported that a Vivo smartphone with model number V1986A has received certification from the 3C regulatory body of China. The listing confirms that it is a 5G handset. Also, it reveals that the retail package of the device will include a 44W rapid charger. It is unclear whether the phone will be debuting as a Vivo or iQOO branded device in China.
iQOO smartphones such as iQOO, iQOO Pro, iQOO Pro 5G, and iQOO Neo3 are all equipped with a 44W fast charger. Hence, there is a possibility that the V1986A could be an iQOO Z1 phone with 44W fast charge support. Since it is just an assumption, readers are advised to wait for further reports to know the identity of V1986A.
It’s been over years since the OnePlus camera app received the Google Lens integration. In a similar move, Oneplus is rolling out a new update for its Gallery app bringing the support for Google Lens. OnePlus users can now easily search images or gather more information about a pictured object by calling Google Lens from within the Gallery app.
OnePlus Gallery App Version 3.11.2 is now widely rolling out on compatible OnePlus smartphones offering new features. The new Google Lens icon is now visible while an image is opened in the gallery app. The user just needs to press the icon present next to the heart button in order to get information about the elements in the picture.
OnePlus Gallery App V3.11.2 changelog
The upgrade version includes
1. Integrate the identification function of Google Lens
2. Fixed some issues
3. Optimize the performance
Google Lens is a powerful tool available in the camera app and now a gallery app to get useful information on tips. It can easily identify addresses, scan barcodes, translate language, and can link shopping items. The presence of such a tool in the gallery app improves accessibility and productivity.
Download OnePlus Gallery App
The new Gallery app is available in the Play Store, but if not then you can sideload it from the APK Mirror.
Xiaomi had previously planned to announce the Xiaomi Mi 10 smartphone in India at the end of March. However, it had to cancel the launch due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the country. Today, the Chinese firm live-streamed the launch event of the Xiaomi Mi 10 smartphone. In February, the company had launched the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro alongside the Mi 10 handset. The company did not unveil the Pro model in the country. One of the major highlights of the Mi 10 is that it features a 108-megapixel quad camera setup. The other attractive features of the smartphone include support for 90Hz refresh rate, Snapdragon 865 mobile platform, and fast wireless charging.
Xiaomi Mi 10 price in India
The Xiaomi Mi 10 has arrived in two variants in India such as 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage and 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage. These variants are priced at Rs. 49,999 (~$661) and Rs. 54,999 (~$727), respectively in the country. Coral Green and Twilight Grey are the two color editions of the Mi 10. The first sales of the smartphone will begin on May 13 through Amazon India and Mi.com. Customers who pre-book the Mi 10 can take advantage of offers like Mi Wireless Powerbank worth Rs. 2,500 for free, no-cost EMI plans at online and offline platforms, and up to Rs. 3,000 cashback with HDFC bank cards.
Xiaomi Mi 10 specifications
The Xiaomi Mi 10 smartphone that features a glass rear and an aluminum frame has 162.5 x 74.8 x 9mm and it weighs 208 grams. The S-AMOLED 3D curved screen on the front is shielded by Gorilla Glass 5. The size of the full HD+ resolution supporting display is 6.67 inches. The handset supports an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. The display supports a refresh rate of 90Hz and has a punch-hole at the top-left corner for the front-facing camera. The screen is integrated with a fingerprint sensor. Other features of the Mi 10’s display include HDR 10+ support, 5000000:1 high contrast ratio, 180Hz touch sampling rate, P3 wide color gamut, peak brightness of 1200nits, and TUV Rheinland certification for blue light filter.
The 7nm Snapdragon 865 mobile platform with maximum clocking speeds of 2.84GHz powers the Xiaomi Mi 10. The phone ships with LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.0 storage. The device lacks support for microSD card slot. There is a single nano-SIM slot on the device for adding a 5G or 4G SIM. While the Mi 10 is 5G-ready, but since 5G connectivity is yet to begin in India, it will only support 4G SIM in the country.
The Mi 10 has a 4,780mAh battery at its helm. It supports Quick Charge 4+ and USB-PD 3.0 charging protocols. The retail package of the phone ships with a 30W fast charger. The smartphone also supports 30W wireless charging and 5W reverse wireless charging. For regulating the internal temperature of the device, it features a vapor chamber liquid cooling technology. The MIUI 11 based Android 10 SO runs on the device.
Upfront, the Xiaomi Mi 10 has a 20-megapixel ultra-clear selfie snapper that comes with features like palm shutter, HDR, screen flash, AI beautify, AI portrait mode, AI scene detection, 30fps video recording, and more. The AI quad camera on the backside of the Mi 10 is led by an OIS assisted 108-megapixel ultra-clear primary sensor by Samsung. The setup also includes a 123-degree 13-megapixel superwide lens, a 2-megapixel depth assist lens, and a 2-megapixel macro lens. The rear camera supports plenty of features such as dual-LED flash, HDR, AI scene detection, AI beautify, AI portrait mode, AI smart slimming, Pro mode, movie frame, up to 8K video recording, and 720p / 1080p slow-motion video recording at 120fps.
The Xiaomi Mi 10 is fitted with dual 1216 super-linear speakers for stereo output. The Multi Link feature on the device lets Mi 10 users to connect to Wi-Fi and 5G/4G networks simultaneously for stronger connectivity. The other features of the Mi 10 are Bluetooth 5.1, NFC, dual-frequency GPS, and USB-C. It lacks support for 3.5mm audio jack.
What’s your opinion on the Xiaomi Mi 10? Share your thoughts by posting your comments below.
With the rising popular and decreasing pricing of the wireless earphones, as well as the fact that smartphone manufactures have ditched the 3.5mm headphone jack, the wired earphones are not widely used as before in smartphones.
However, there is a set of users who are still hooked to wired earphones and thus there exists a market for products like USB-C to 3.5mm converter and lightning to 3.5mm converter. Those who rely on wired earphones are now reporting issues with OnePlus smartphone in this department.
OnePlus users are reporting a strange issues where the audio gets swapped on the smartphone. This means that the audio meant for the left channel is heard on the right channel and vice-versa.
While this may not seem like a big issue to many, it is absolutely annoying, especially while playing certain type of games or videos. The issue is only for the wired headphone users and the users with wireless earphones are immune to this.
Users of OnePlus 7 series as well as those with devices dating back to OnePlus 5 are complaining about this weird issue. The audio swap issue occurs when using official accessories, dongles or even USB Type-C headphones.
OnePlus is apparently looking into this matter, but as of now, there’s no true fix available. There’s also no timeline available from the company regarding the fix. So, if you are facing this issue, you’ll just have to wait for the Chinese company to release the fix, hopefully it happens sooner than later.
In September 2019, Xiaomi launched Mi AirDots 2 earbuds in China. In March, the same earbuds debuted as Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 in the global markets. Today, the Chinese firm live-streamed an unveil event to announce new the Xiaomi Mi 10 smartphone in India. Through the same event, the company unleashed the Mi True Wireless Earphones in India.
Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 price
The Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 has landed in India with a price of Rs. 3,999 (~$53). This pricing is only applicable between May 12 and May 17. The sales of the earbuds will begin on Mi.com, Amazon.in, and Mi Home at 12 PM on May 12.
Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 specifications
The Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 comes with a massive 14.2mm dynamic driver coupled with a large composite dynamic coil. It allows the earbuds to deliver superior sound with full bass. The support for LHDC Bluetooth codec better sound quality with low latency. It can transfer more than thrice the volume of data packets compared to any other audio codec for delivering distortion-free sound output.
The Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 comes with Bluetooth 5.0. It is compatible with Android and iOS devices. It is equipped with smart dual noise canceling microphones that ensure clarity during phone calls. On a single charge, the earbuds promise a listening time of up to 4 hours. The earphones can charge automatically through the charging case that features a USB-C port. When used with a charging case, the earbuds can last for up to 14 days.
The optical sensors placed inside the earbuds enables in-ear detection. The device can automatically pause the audio when earbuds are removed from the ears and it starts playing when the earphones are placed inside the ears. Right earphones can be tapped twice for play/pause. To access voice assistants like Google Assistant, Alexa or Siri, one can tap the left earbud twice. To receive a call, one can tap on either side twice.
Earlier today (8th May 2020), Sensor Tower, a known analytics firm, published a new report, which detailed the rankings of the top Chinese mobile game publishers. The rankings also analyzed both Apple App Store and Google Play Store revenue for the month of April 2020.
Data via Sensor Tower
In the report, the global App Store and Google Play’s mobile game revenue ranked 30 of the top Chinese game publishers. According to the data, these publishers raked in more than 1.74 billion US Dollars just in the month of April. This marks a record high increase of 14 percent over March 2020 and accounts for 27.5 percent of the total current global mobile game market’s revenue.
Looking at the list, Tencent Games leads the Chinese mobile gaming publisher rankings. This arrives as no surprise as the video game publisher is behind many massively popular games and has also been successful in many countries apart from China through games like PUBG Mobile (which is a great hit in the global market). Other notable names in the lists include NetEase that comes in second followed by Lilith Games and FunPlus at third and fourth spots respectively.
PUBG Mobile, a massively popular mobile port of the original PC game that was brought by Tencent Games and PUBG Corp.
The mobile gaming market has been seeing a rise in recent years and is currently booming, thanks in part due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. The viral outbreak has led many people to be confined in their homes playing video games, especially on their smartphones to pass the time. Thus, the period has helped various Chinese mobile game publishers, 36 of which can even be found in the top 100 mobile game publishers that brought in the highest revenue.
In a recent interview, Steve Mollenkopf, the CEO of Qualcomm, talked about the company’s current relationship with the Cupertino based giant, Apple. The two companies had fought a legal battle but the senior Qualcomm official feels that the relations are “much more natural now.”
For those unaware, Apple had accused Qualcomm of ‘double dipping’ (basically making Apple pay for the sale of chips and its patent license, which is illegal in some cases) and the iPhone maker then proceeded to withhold any payments to the known chipmaker. However, while the accusations had landed both sides to the court, the two sides announced a massive settlement at the very last minute right before the trial actually began. This deal as Mollenkopf puts it, made the relationship between the two companies much more natural.
The Qualcomm CEO further added that “the discussion is really about products and how do we launch products as fast as possible. It’s much more natural.” Notably, Apple is expected to bring 5G networking to the iPhone 12 lineup through Qualcomm modems, so this might be a step towards better cooperation between both sides in the future. The interview was taken by Bloomberg and had Steve Mollenkopf also discuss the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic.
According to the CEO, Qualcomm “saw a pretty substantial drop in the China market. In the month of February, it really dropped pretty significantly. But what was surprising, it actually rebounded pretty quickly as well. It took about five weeks for it to correct itself and get back to a level of sell-in that’s not too different from what it was a year ago. In the process of doing that, it actually transitioned more of the phones as a percentage to 5G.”
Samsung has announced its plan to launch a Samsung Pay debit card this summer. The company says that the card will be backed by a cash management account and will be launched in partnership with personal finance company SoFi.
According to Sang Ahn, Vice President and General Manager of Samsung Pay in North America, the company is developing a “mobile-first money management platform” but has not revealed what features that platform or the upcoming debit card may offer. However, the company said that it will reveal more information about this in the coming weeks.
The development comes after Apple launched its own credit card named Apple Card last year in partnership with Goldman Sachs. There are reports claiming that Google is also working on a debit card of its own and is said to offer spending-tracking tools.
Samsung Pay was launched in 2015 as a way to allow select Galaxy devices to pay at virtually any terminal through Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST). This is different than NFC technology which is what Google Pay and Apple Pay uses.
Following the footsteps of Apple, Chinese giant Huawei has also launched its own Huawei Card in China last month. It is available in both physical and virtual form and the company says that it will wave-off annual fee for the early adopters for the first year.
Huawei’s sub-brand Honor is all set to launch its new Honor X10 5G smartphone in China on 20th May. Ahead of the launch, key specifications and features of the upcoming device have been surfacing online. In the latest development, the camera samples of the smartphone from Everest expedition have been released by the company.
Honor says that Li Pau and Cai Qing from 2020 Everest Survey Mountaineering Team took some stunning images using the Honor 30 Pro Plus and the upcoming Honor X10 5G. Here are the images captured using the new Honor X10 5G smartphone.
The smartphone is expected to come with a triple-camera setup on the back consisting of a 40-megapixel primary sensor, an 8-megapixel secondary lens, and a 2-megapixel tertiary sensor. For the main lens, the company is expected to use Sony IMX600y custom sensor.
On the front side, the device is said to be equipped with a 16-megapixel snapper housed inside a pop-up camera module. The smartphone will reportedly come with a 6.63-inch Full HD+ IPS LCD display with 20:9 aspect ratio and without any notches.
Under the hood, it will be powered by the company’s own Kirin 820 5G chipset, along with 4/6/8 GB of RAM and 64/128/256 GB internal storage. The phone houses a 4,200mAh battery that supports 22.5W fast charging through USB Type-C port.
The Honor X10 5G is expected to be the cheapest 5G-compatible smartphone from the company and is likely to be priced around 2,000 yuan which roughly converts to $282. To know for sure, we’ll have to wait for the official launch on 20th May.
Despite pandemic, some smartphones sold more than others in Q1 2020. Canalys has tweeted an image disclosing the top 10 global smartphone models shipments in that period. Interestingly, only three OEMs make up the whole list namely Apple, Xiaomi, and Samsung.
According to Canalys, Apple was the leading company with its iPhone 11 shipping over 18 million units. The second place was held by Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8T with over 8 million units.
Whereas, Samsung Galaxy A51 and Galaxy A10s occupied the third and fourth positions respectively with shipments over 6 and 5 million units.
The fifth place was conquered by another Xiaomi device, Redmi Note 8 Pro with over 5 million units. Then, iPhone 11 Pro Max with over 4 million held the sixth position, followed by two more Samsung handsets, Galaxy A20s and Galaxy A01 at seventh and eighth places with over 4 and 3 million units respectively.
The last two positions were occupied by Redmi 8A and iPhone 11 Pro with over 3 million units each. That said, we don’t have the exact number of shipments as Canalys is yet to reveal it.
Looking at the picture, we can clearly see there’s a huge gap between the first and the second places. Pricing the iPhone 11 aggressively has helped Apple sell a ton of this model. Also, it is interesting to note that more people bought iPhone Pro Max than the standard iPhone 11 Pro.
Further, Xiaomi’s Redmi A series sell more than other models usually but in the last quarter, the Redmi Note 8 series shipped higher than the Redmi 8A. As for Samsung, like always, its budget smartphones, the Galaxy A series to be exact, were the bestsellers occupying four places.
Xiaomi’s Mijia brand has revealed through a new post on Weibo that the company is all set to launch a new home water purifier in China on 11th May.
The company is also promoting the upcoming product with slogans like “good soup, good meal, and good skin.” It also added that this new product is “delicious”. All these claims from Xiaomi hints that the purifier will have a soft water feature.
The water quality in most part of China is hard water containing more mineral content and largely includes more soluble calcium and magnesium compounds. On the other hand, soft water contains low concentrations of ions and is low in ions of calcium and magnesium.
However, the company has not yet announced anything related to this water purifier. It remains to be seen what Xiaomi is planning to offer in terms of features for this upcoming product. To know for sure, we’ll have to wait a couple of days more.
The upcoming product won’t be the first water purifier coming from Xiaomi. The company has launched several such products in India. Last year, in September, the Xiaomi Water Purifier C1 was launched which comes with three faucet outlets and 4-level RO filtration. Recenly, Xiaomi-backed Viomi launched Yunmi S2 600G water purifier.
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